WannaCry Ransomware Demonstrates The Value Of Better Security and Backups

The WannaCry ransomware attacks that began Friday are a dramatic demonstration of the value of making regular backups of your valuable content. Ransomware encrypts the data in your storage system or personal computer, only making your data available to you again if you pay the ransom.

Whatever the outcome of the current WannaCry attacks on individuals, companies and organizations; it points out the value of having good clean backups in a secure storage system in order to recover data otherwise hidden behind ransomware. These attacks also show the value of having the latest security patches installed and a comprehensive security software running on your computers and servers.

Here are a few statements on the WannaCry attacks from leaders at some companies involved in digital data storage.

“This worldwide ransomware cyberattack demonstrates a fundamental flaw in IT security strategy for many enterprises that lack IT resilience to quickly neutralize these types of attacks and other business disruptions. Those that rely on two-dimensional, anti-intrusion detection and prevention methods continue to fall victim, thereby becoming major news headlines in the process with damaged brand reputation and increased business risk” Paul Zeiter, President of Zerto

“Ensuing secure data is crucial and organizations will need to be prepared so they continue to run a fully operational service. As this trend increases, it will become even more critical that organizations arm themselves with a second line of defense that protects data from corruption and deletion, minimizing the impact of malicious cyber-attacks such as this." Gary Watson, Co-founder and VP of Technical Engagement at Gary Watson, Co-founder and VP of Technical Engagement at Nexsan

Regular backups and snapshots can help you recover files hidden behind ransomware, particularly if you can identify when the infections occurred, so you only work with backup copies before the infection. While you won’t be able to recover your files since the last backup, without paying the ransom, you can get at older files that are critical to business operation and continuity.

In addition, make sure that before recovering files that you completely fix any required software patches and any copy of the malware that may be lurking in your systems or networks. These sorts of security measures, taken before an attack, could eliminate or minimize the damage from attacks like this. To prevent this sort of business interruption in the future, you should create and implement a data security plan right away.

I am the President of Coughlin Associates and a storage analyst and consultant. I have over 37 years in the data storage industry with multiple engineering and management positions. I have many publications and six patents to my credit. I am also the author of Digital Storag...